My time at VTS has been filled with powerful women leaders in the church. The Center for Anglican Communion Studies regularly welcomes guests to campus as part of the Anglican Communion Sabbatical Program for a few weeks of rest, worship, table fellowship, and storytelling in this community. While anyone may apply to be a Communion Sabbatical Visitor, priority is given to applicants who are women and/or from the global south (among other things). Because of this program, during the past three years I have been in seminary, I have had the privilege to meet and hear the stories of The Rev. Dr. Gloria Mapangdol, President and Dean of St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary in Manila, Philippines, The Rt. Rev. Rose Okeno, Bishop of the Diocese of Butere, Kenya, The Rev. Akua Ofori-Boateng of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, Ghana, and others during their sabbatical visits. Each of their stories of ministry, prayers for the Church, and visions for the future have been different, and have provided me with glimpses into the life and work of the larger Anglican Communion.
Last month, The Center for Anglican Communion Studies welcomed over 40 women leaders from around the Anglican Communion to the VTS campus for the Women Mentoring Women Conference. The week was incredible. Each woman brought her expertise, her stories, her laments, her hopes, and her faith. Most powerfully, the women had a chance to bring their full selves into a community of others who walk this path with them. The conference was structured around the idea of peer leadership: forming a community of women leaders who could lift each other up and support one another in the variety of ministries God has called them to. This mutual empowerment was amazing.
The Center for Anglican Communion Studies has long sought out the voice of women leaders to share their stories to the VTS community. But, by nature of the limitations of hosting Sabbatical visitors to campus, those stories are often told as a single voice. During this week of the Women Mentoring Women conference, many different voices joined together. There were shared difficulties and joys, as well as important distinctions in the work of these leaders based on their culture, their history, and their context. Through each story, each witness, presentation, and prayer, a beautiful community was built. Each time we broke for a coffee break or for lunch, people lingered. When we offered time for 1:1 mentoring conversations, people sought each other out. When our cohort of women bishops took a group photo, a whole chain started of women eager to grab a photo with someone they admired.
Over the course of the week, many solitary voices speaking from their often-isolating role as a female leader joined together into a chorus. As a female seminarian looking toward my own ordination and ministry in the Church, I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds me all in my work. This week made me appreciate all the women who have come before me to pave the way for the opportunities that lie ahead. And this week reminded me of the importance of extending the invitation to other women who have many gifts and talents to share with our communities and our Church. I am grateful for CACS for turning this idea into a reality, and I am thankful for the women who showed up with their full selves throughout the week. Thank you, thank you!